TTC
Lubricants & PregnancyWhat Is The Best Lubricant To
Use To Try & Get Pregnant?

When
looking for a lubricant it can get confusing as there is a lot
of conflicting resources out there. Some claiming that all lube
is bad, others promoting lubricants that have known toxins in
them such as parabens. Then you throw in the challenge of trying
to get pregnant and lubricant can become a whole hurdle when
trying to understand what is not only healthy for your vagina
but what will also be sperm-friendly to encourage getting pregnant.

What
Makes A Lubricant TTC?

The
premise behind fertility friendly lubricants all comes down
to a higher pH level than typical lubricants. When a woman is
ovulating and ready for conception her body produces more alkaline
pH environment in the vagina (pH levels between 7 and 10) as
sperm is most happy in a 7.4 pH level or higher. Also
see our pH lubricant article.

Therefore,
the theory is that what makes a lubricant ideal for conception
is a higher pH level and because most lubricants have a pH level
lower than sperm (between 4 - 5 pH levels) they have been thought
by some that they may work against an optimal and fertile environment
for sperm. This
is why some suspect that they may cause problems for couples having
difficulty in trying to get pregnant. However, the Kinsey Institute
has found that couples who were trying to conceive typically did
not have problems in using lubricants while TTC but for those
who are having difficulty it may be something to consider.

When
a woman is ovulating and ready for conception her body produces
more alkaline pH environment in the vagina (pH levels around 7
- 7.9 range) as sperm is most happy in a 7.4 pH level or higher.
Therefore,
what makes a lubricant ideal for conception is a higher pH level
and because most lubricants have a pH level lower than ideal (between
4-5 pH) they may work against an optimal and fertile environment
for sperm. That is why some suspect that they may cause problems
for couples having difficulty in trying to get pregnant. The Kinsey
Institute has found that couples who were trying to conceive typically
did not have problems in using lubricants while TTC but for those
who are having difficulty it may be something to consider.

However,
it is important to understand that the vagina produces acid that
helps to protect against infections and viruses and bringing the
pH level up in the vaginal environment may weaken the ability
to fight off those infections and viruses which is why using a
lubricant that has a very high pH level on an ongoing basis is
not a good idea. Especially when you understand that women who
are pregnant and have untreated infections like bacterial vaginosis
are at increased risk for complications such as early labor or
even miscarriage.

A
healthy vaginal pH level at the lowest level is 3.7 and the average
is about 4 to 4.5 which is what many lubricants on the market
offer in pH levels. When a toxic imbalance occurs in the vagina,
it drives the pH of the vagina up to 6 or higher creating ideal
conditions for unhealthy bacteria to thrive so again, using a
pH level in this range for vaginal health is typically ideal.

Potential
Problems With TTC Lubricants

There are
only a few fertility friendly lubricants or as they are better
known as "trying to conceive" (TTC) lubricants on the
market today. However, some of the more popular ones are not something
that we recommend because they contain parabens
which are known hormone disrupters and something that may cause
health issues. (For more on this read more about parabens
in lubricants). Examples
of popular lubricants that have parabens in them that are marketed
to be used when trying to get pregnant are Conceive Plus,
Pre-seed and Astroglide TTC which all contain parabens
such as methylparaben and propylparaben (listed under their ingredients)
and that is why we do not carry them.

Furthermore,
there is evidence that lubricants that have high pH levels (found
in the TTC lubricants may promote unhealthy bacterial growth causing
a variety of infections. This
then creates the question of whether or not to use them and if
so which one to choose. Before we get into that, let's review
more information so that you can become educated and empowered
in your decision making on this topic... after all, good health
is the most important thing when it comes to both you and your
future baby.

Avoiding
Certain Lubricants

Women should
definitely avoid certain lubricants as using lubricants that are
not intended for vaginal use such as petroleum jelly and oils
can promote conditions for both yeast and bacterial infections
as well as damage vaginal tissue, increase susceptibility to sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs / STIs).

FDA
Labeling of TTC Lubricants

The
FDA has created a classification system for lubricants and unless
a lubricant has gone through rigorous testing that it is clinically
proven to be compatible with sperm, gamete, embryo and the fertilization
process then it has to provide a warning label on the packaging
letting consumers know that it may not be safe to use when trying
to get pregnant. This labeling almost means that a lubricant is
assumed guilty before proven innocent so it may be unnecessarily
scaring consumers into not using lubricants at all.

What
Lubricants Are Paraben Free That Are Ideal For Conception?

All
of the lubricants that we carry are paraben free and the
one with the highest pH level is Sliquid
Oceanics as our pH strips showed it has a pH level that
tested within a range of 6.7 - 7.5 so it is one that those
TTC may want to consider during ovulation. Because of the
concerns about using high pH based lubricants we urge women
to avoid using them on an ongoing basis and consider only
using a high pH lubricant such as this just during the time
you are trying to conceive and during ovulation while using
one of our paraben free waterbased lubricants the rest of
the time to keep pH levels at an optimal level.